Ventura Lambrate Report

30 Apr 2012

If Zona Tortona is the more sophisticated older sibling, Ventura Lambrate is the hip and more casual venue for both established and up-and-coming creatives to exhibit their work out of the fairgrounds. Here, Luo Jingmei presents some interesting highlights.

Jaime Hayon showcased both current and new designs from the past year. Sketches and prototypes provided insight into the Catalan’s creative processes alongside items from brands like Bosa, Sé, Bernhardt, Baccarat, Lladró and his own recently launched Hayon Editions.

From Jaime Hayon

Young but critically acclaimed British designer Lee Broom launched his first solo exhibition entitled ‘Public House’. Done up like a British pub, it was the perfect atmosphere to display Broom’s eclectic and vintage-inspired designs from past and existing collections. Also on display were his new ‘Crystal Bulb’ and ‘Ballantine 12 by Lee Broom’, the dapper designer’s unique decanter for the Scotch whisky brand.

‘Crystal Light Bulb’ by Lee Broom

‘Ballantine 12’ by Lee Broom

Over at MINDCRAFT 12, an exhibition of up-and-coming Danish designers curated by designer Cecilie Manz, we were taken by how the designers’ thought processes and working models were exhibited in a hanging mobile display. Of note was Eske Rex’s Space Meter, an instrument that spans and measures space in between 2 walls in a room using magnets.

From Eske Rex

The Yii collective, comprising Gina Hsu, Kevin Yu Jiu Chou, Pili Wu, Po-ching Liao, Rock Wang and Tong Ho, was conceived by the Taiwan Craft Research Institute to stimulate creative dialogue between Taiwanese designers and craftsmen. Here at Ventura Lambrate, they presented a new collection for HAN Gallery. Curated by Gijs Bakker, the items also included a set of metal stools designed by nendo especially for this collection.

Yii collective for HAN Gallery

Metal stools by nendo for the HAN Gallery collection

Italian tableware manufacturer Sambonet presented for the first time some of Gio Ponti’s creations designed in 1951. Products shown included a tray design and the ‘Conca’ series of asymmetrical cutlery, developed through close observation of humans’ table habits.

Gio Ponti’s creations from 1951, presented by Sambonet

Sander Mulder’s ‘Continue Time’ 14-carat gold-finished clock is a new way to tell the time. Instead of the 3 hands – hour, minute and second – rotating around a central point, each hand rotates around a point connected to another hand, creating varying shapes while time moves on.

‘Continue Time’ clock by Sander Mulder

Isreali designer Galia Tammuz presented an innovative tableware set inspired by the sharing of food in certain cultures and manifested via extrusion technology. Check out the engaging demonstrative video on her website.

Tableware set by Galia Tammuz

Italian designer Cynthia Viale showed her ‘Geometric Variations’ collection – clothes hangers, a cabinet and ceramics with a slightly retro tinge based on the idea of the geometry of lattices.

‘Geometric Variations’ collection by Cynthia Viale

We also liked the industrial honesty of Fred&Juul’s ‘Raffaele’ brass lampshades and ‘Maurits’ dining table with a parquetry-like top of reclaimed oak wood from wine barrels and oak and plywood brass legs.